Thankful for this Blog

J and I started this blog to "encourage" us to find something new to be thankful for each and every day.  It's worked!  I find myself thinking at various times during the day of something I can blog about later that evening.  It's good to always be aware of how many things are happening in and around our lives that we can be thankful for.
However, this was to be a joined blog and J has found herself in a crazy busy life right now.  Her blogs are always more interesting to read than mine so until she finds the time to get back on this site, I will keep my thankfulness to myself and look forward to rejoining you once we are both able to be consistent again.  I know our thousands of viewers eagerly anticipate that day :)  A.

Outdoor Pools

Another hot day - another new location to endure the heat.  We went to a tiny hamlet about an hours drive away and enjoyed the day in their outdoor pool.  We don't have an outdoor pool in our community so it is quite the novelty to go to an outdoor pool on a beautiful, hot day.  Being a small community, the staff was very relaxed about pool rules, there were very few people present and we got to watch deer wandering around outside the fence.  Pretty great way to spend an afternoon!  A.

Walking Barefoot

In our house, we have a summer rule - no socks allowed.  If someone decides to wear socks, I just don't wash them and eventually the kids have no socks left to wear.  I love summer and being able to run outside without having to put shoes on all the time.  It's like a kind of freedom to be able to go wherever I want without shoes or socks.  Just another reason why summer is the best season!  A.

Bonus Points

I really strongly dislike that all stores carry "rewards" cards now.  My wallet is too full.  However, today I used some of those reward points and then I really liked them!  Here's to buying $110 worth of merchandise but only paying $30.  Only thousands of purchases made by yours truly before I get to do that again :)  A.

When a Plan Works

It's been a hot July (which I've mentioned only a few times already) and the kids are getting tired of hanging out at the lake.  Today they were bored stiff and I suggested going to the river.  We've been there already too so we decided to try a new place by the river.  It took forever to find the site that was recommended to us and the kids were getting pretty grumpy with all the backtracking and walking around but when we finally found the place, we all agreed that this is the place to go back to.  It was private, had many areas to explore, had a warm back inlet as well as the full river.  We had a great afternoon and will definitely go back.  I love it when I force the kids to do something they don't want to do and it ends out working out beautifully :)  A.

Kissing Cousins (or Tackling)

My extended family celebrates birthdays about once a month.  Today we celebrated my son's 14th birthday and my niece's 13th birthday.  It's a lot of fun watching the cousins grow up together and see how their games change.  Many years ago, they enjoyed jumping on the trampoline or swinging on the swing set together.  Not so many years ago, the game of choice was lego.  Today they got a game of soccer going with the "young" cousins against the "old" cousins (school age vs. graduated).  The school age kids kicked some serious butt!  They then changed to a game of rugby/ football.  I couldn't quite figure it out but at one point, one of the larger cousins picked up my youngest child and ran with him across the goal line.  I guess that counted for a point somehow.  The game also involved a lot of wrestling matches happening at various random times.
It was a lot of fun watching the cousins play together.  There were about 12 of them ranging in age from 11 to 23 and they had a blast.  I love family gatherings and I love that the cousins have the chance to grow up together and enjoy each others' company at least once a month.  A.

Gracious Parents

We babysit two small boys from down the road today while both parents worked.  (I guess they aren't that small - 11 and 7 years old).  They came in and played their electronics for quite awhile before I told them they needed to finish up because I was going to "kick them outside" in a few minutes.  After they went outside with my boys, I took a quick shower and came back down to find the older boy back inside.  I asked where his little brother was and he answered that he assumed he was outside with the other 3 boys.  Awful babysitter that I am, I believed him and went on with my daily chores.  It was probably only a few minutes later when I got a call from the mom at work.  She asked if I was aware that the youngest son was now back at his house!  He thought that when I said I was kicking them out, that meant it was time to go home.  So he walked home (about 15 minutes) all by himself and then phoned his mom to find out what to do next.  The mom had a hard time telling me the story because she was laughing so hard.  I felt horrible but she thought it was hilarious.  Of course we ran out and picked him up immediately and brought him back.
I'm thankful that the young boy was okay, that the mom thought it was funny and that the rest of the day went well with no more children wandering off.   And if any of you ever need a babysitter, you may want to consider a different neighbour.  This one is not terribly trustworthy!  A.